Is Modern Life Wrecking Your​​​​​​​ Sleep?

If you end every day feeling tired but wired, somethings got to change. Step one is to pinpoint the reason and you may be surprised at some of the main culprits...

- Jane Murphy

You’ve got more work deadlines than you’ve had hot dinners in weeks. You have 26 – and counting – unread messages, but you’ve barely had time to glance at them. Yes, you’re exhausted. But you’re looking forward to a HIIT workout tonight, before catching up on those emails, collapsing in front of the TV then rolling into bed for a good sleep.

Except it never quite works out like that, does it? Instead of falling straight into a deep, restorative slumber, you’re wide awake and worrying how you’re going to cope with the whole thing all over again tomorrow. And that’s because you’ve been unwittingly messing with your body’s natural cycle and stress response during the day. More specifically, you could well be suffering from adrenal fatigue.

‘Our adrenals are small glands on top of the kidneys, which release the stress hormone cortisol,’ explains nutritional therapist and naturopath Alexandra Neilan. ‘When we’re stressed, the adrenals pump out cortisol – and when the stressor is eradicated, the adrenals can rest. If we expose the body to constant stress, the adrenals start to become worn out, leaving us tired and wired. We’re surrounded by factors that put our bodies under strain and cause a stress response, even if we don’t realise this is happening. And our adrenals don’t know the difference between a real and perceived threat.’

So despite rushing headlong through the day, hoping to sleep soundly at the end of it, you could actually be priming your body to stay super-alert at night. And even some of the things you do in a bid to relax and de-stress may be exacerbating the problem…

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